Game of Wit and Luck
by X4uth0r
Summary: You've heard of K-Unit taking care of a young Alex... but what about Alex taking care of a young K-unit? Meet Alex Rider, official babysitter for the grumpy Damon, sneaky Ben, calm Evan, and energetic Rodney. Alex has his work cut out for him- especially if he's going to babysit all four boys at once... It was going to be a long night... AUish. Pre-Stormbreaker.


**Just a prologue- real action starts next chapter. Oh, and by the way, this is _nothing_ like Life of a Spy. You've been warned.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider.**

O-o-O-o-O

"Come here, Alex."

Alex immediately reacted at the order, putting down the book he had been reading, moving off of the sofa to go to the door, where his uncle was waiting.

"What is it?" The teenager watched as Ian's eyes seemed to sweep over him, assessing and evaluating him. He didn't particularly _like_ it, but Alex had noticed it had been happening his entire life; his uncle always pushed him to his full potential, finding his weaknesses and exploiting them.

_"Weaknesses will only be used against you, Alex. I am merely exerting them until they are strengths, instead. Do you understand?"_

That was what Ian had said after he had been beaten up by three older boys- it didn't matter if they had been at least four years older than him, and that he been doing karate for less than two years, or even that he had been trying to _protect_ someone else... because Ian had seen the previous victim he had been helping, as a weakness, and he _had_ been; he had also said that it was fine to help people- as long as he always won in the end, aka, he didn't get caught doing it.

It hadn't been much of a surprise to Ian, when the three boys had later been attacked by an unknown assailant, and that they had never bullied another kid since.

Instead of receiving praise for the elaborate trap that had been made, Ian critiqued him on using floor instead of sand as a blinding tool. Alex hadn't been disheartened, or even surprised- it _was_ Ian, after all.

The teen was jerked out of his memories by Ian, who was talking again.

"You are old enough that I don't need to explain any last-minute instructions- but Jack _is_ on vacation, which means you will have to take care of a babysitting job later today."

Alex was unfazed- it certainly wasn't the first time Ian had sprung something on him, or deliberately put him into a stressful situation in order to test him.

"Ages? How many? And how long?" Alex asked calmly, not missing how his uncle seemed to be studying his reaction.

Ian's lips twitched, eyes glinting with approval. "Four boys, approximately between the ages of seven and eight. They will arrive by 1500- their parents will be picking them up late tonight."

The boy nodded, inwardly wincing at his predicament. Four kids- the kind that were energetic? _He_ certainly hadn't been very hyperactive as a child, and had been surprised to see his peers act so... _immature_ and _childish._ "Is that all?"

"Yes, it is." Ian glanced at his watch, and then to the packed suitcase beside him. "I'll be back in a week."

Alex was unconvinced- it wasn't the first time his uncle had told him that, only to return nearly a month later. "Just try not to come back with another broken arm," his voice was dripping in sarcasm.

"Goodbye, Alex."

"See you later, Ian."

With that, he was gone.

After triple-locking the door (not to mention the deadbolt), Alex flopped back on the couch, reaching for his book. He had over an hour to kill before they came.

O-o-O-o-O

The doorbell rang.

Critically, Alex glanced toward the front door, then to his watch. They shouldn't have come for another hour, unless... he sighed. Of course, he should have seen the loophole.

_"They will arrive by 1500."_

Ian had specified that they would come _by_ 3:00, not _at_ 3:00.

It was only 2:00, and his uncle had still managed to be truthful.

Ian liked to give misinformation- it was just another way of testing him.

Still, Alex was careful to look through the peephole to confirm a middle-aged couple with a scowling eight-year-old boy.

But it was only _one_- not four. Why would Ian have lied like that? Usually, he would have intentionally _underestimated_, not _overestimated._ Overestimation was _easier_ for him- and he knew how much his uncle like to make things as difficult as possible.

The woman smiled. "I'm Norma Romero- you must be Alex. Ian told us all about you- thank you _so_ much for taking care of Damon, I know he can be quite a handful."

"My name _isn't_ Damon," the boy insisted. "It's _Wolf_, remember?"

Mrs. Romero looked apologetic. "Sorry- he won't stop going on about it- ever since he and his friends played soldiers." She laughed. "Apparently, they were 'K-Unit," and they were at some boot camp! Amazing what children can come up with these days...""

Alex chuckled, trying to play along. Would there be _more_ kids coming? "It's fine- I don't mind calling him Wolf." He didn't mention that Ian would never have accepted that amount of immaturity from him when he was younger.

Mrs. Romero still seemed flustered. "I'm sorry- we really have to rush, he can eat at six, bedtime is at eight. Thanks again!"

As soon as the door closed, Damon began to inspect the house- rather critically.

"Why do you have so many locks?" Damon, or rather, Wolf, asked- was it curiosity? Or did he think it was weird?

"My uncle insists on it," Alex explained.

"Why?"

The teenager grit his teeth. "To keep me safe."

Wolf frowned. "Why? Aren't you old enough to take care of yourself?"

Alex rolled his eyes. "Ok, fine. It's saf_er_." What was with all these questions? Ian had drilled hit into him that _yes,_ there _was_ such thing as stupid questions, or worse, _pointless_ questions.

The boy squinted, as if debating on whether or not he was going to accept the answer, but shrugged. "Whatever. What're we going to do first?"

"How about you read a book?" Alex suggested. "Or do you have any homework?"

Wolf raised his eyebrows (the teenager noticed he hadn't quite managed one eyebrow, yet). "You're kidding, right? Books are for sissies. Besides, it's summer, remember?"

The teen could have face-palmed himself- and Ian _certainly_ would have punished him for making such a stupid mistake. Normal kids didn't have uncles that gave them homework during the summer (which was usually _harder_ than the stuff his teachers gave him). And- normal eight-year-olds wouldn't even _enjoy_ reading (if at all), until they fully comprehended it and could actually appreciate... not to mention Ian had him reading Shakespeare in French when _he_ had been eight. "Right- sorry. So what _do_ you want to do?"

Wolf glanced at the TV in the corner. "Got any video games?"

Alex shook his head. "Ian doesn't like them- says it turns your brain to mush." And when nine-year-old Alex had protested, saying it increased hand-eye coordination, Ian had merely laughed, telling him to go play table tennis, or find something that didn't involve addiction or wasting time. His uncle hadn't been a big fan of computers, either; thus, he had limited time and access to wi-fi, as well.

Wolf snorted. "Seriously? That's lame."

The teen didn't have a chance to reply, as the doorbell rang once more.

Another couple, this time with two boys. "Hello, we're the Daniels," the mom greeted. "Thanks for taking this job, Alex- I know four boys will be difficult."

So there _were_ going to be four of them- but were they from separate families?

Mr. Daniels introduced the boys. "This is my own son, Ben, and this is Evan- his parents asked us to drop him off."

"No!" Wolf violently protested. "It's _Fox_ and _Snake_, remember?"

"Get it right, dad," Ben, or Fox, muttered.

Evan _(Snake_, Alex reminded himself) merely rolled his eyes.

The Daniels waved goodbye as they hurried toward their car. "See you later- their bedtimes are the same as Roman's!"

After closing and locking the door behind him, Alex turned to face the three boys, who were chatting excitedly to one another, ignoring him entirely.

As Ian would have done, Alex observed them carefully, filing away any information he could.

Wolf was Hispanic; he was grumpy, but seemed to be the leader, most likely the oldest, as well.

Snake looked the youngest- as of now- maybe around seven. He was also the quietest one- and the only one with a Scottish accent.

Fox was the most intelligent of the group-,in his own little way- younger than Wolf, older than Snake. He wasn't the leader (_or wouldn't be **able** to lead,_ Alex guessed), but he _was_ the strategist. Speaking with a Liverpool accent, he wasn't exactly _quiet_, but _did_ seem to be the most observant- he was _also_ probably the most similar to Alex himself.

Fox glanced around. "Eagle isn't here, is he?"

Wolf shook his head seriously (but from an eight-year-old, it was almost impossible to be taken seriously). "No, but we need to prepare."

Alex frowned. "For what?"

The three boys froze as the doorbell ran once more.

Wolf went into action. "Come on guys, let's go."

Alex was about to intervene, when the boys ran into the kitchen. The teen sighed, moving to open the door.

This couple was, by far, the most stressed.

"I'm Eric Willis," the man forced a smile. "This is Rodney."

The seven-year-old looked like he was on a sugar high, or probably ADD or ADHD- he was bouncing up and down, grinning wildly.

"Sorry, he just snuck a cup of coffee," Mrs. Willis apologized.

Alex nearly chocked. Ian had only recently let him drink coffee- even then, in small amounts, and not very frequent. But a seven-year-old _kid?!_

The couple departed quickly, leaving him with the hyperactive boy.

Rodney was definitely the youngest- and he would certainly be a handful. He would be the one that would always crack a joke in the midst of a tense atmosphere, but immensely loyal.

"Eagle, right?" Alex asked for confirmation.

"_Finally_, at least _somebody_ gets it right," Eagle latched his eyes on him briefly before becoming distracted by the rest of the living room, having the urge to be incredibly _close_ to the objects, and touch them.

Alex grit his teeth when Eagle was about to pick up the Japanese mask Ian had gotten several years back. He knew a warning would not suffice. "Come on, kid- your friends are in the kitchen.

His eyes lit up- from the food, or his friends, he didn't know.

They walked in the kitchen, and the teenager nearly gasped in surprise. How had three boys _done_ this much damage in less than three minutes?!

Alex found the fridge door open, the pantry invaded, and three unimpressed boys, and half the food on the floor- from both the refrigerator and the food pantry.

Wolf was staring incredulously at the wide variety of healthy foods. "This is _so_ lame- where's the chips and soda? Where's the junk food?"

Fox could only agree. "Yeah, it's worse than _Snake's_ mom." He shuddered. "Health-kicks."

They ignored Snake's indignant "hey!", and continued to rummage through the food.

Alex rolled his eyes. He would clean this mess up later. "Look on the bright side- you don't have to hide anything from Eagle."

Wolf shrugged, Fox smirked, and Snake sighed.

Eagle wasn't paying attention, focused on the task of finding food that would sustain his sugar high.

After putting away the few items that would be perishable if they stayed out, Alex herded the kids out of the kitchen, locking it behind him.

"First off- some quick rules: Ian's, Jack's, and my room are all off limits- so is the kitchen, until further notice. Try not to break anything." He looked at them in turn, to make sure they understood- they did, albeit grudgingly. "Anyway... who's up for a game of hide-and-go-seek?"

O-o-O-o-O

**Whatcha think? Any suggestions for my writing and/or ideas? Tell me your predictions on how you think hide-and-seek will go...**


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